Polk County Today in Livingston is reporting that a judge there has handed down a very light sentence to a man who previously pleaded guilty to a violent sexual assault of a teenage girl. State District Judge Travis E. Kitchens, Jr. has sentenced 22-year-old Eli Donavan Salina Binnion, of Livingston, to 3 years in state prison and 180 days in county jail on charges of Sexual Assault of a Child and Aggravated Assault Causing Serious Bodily Injury.
However, the report said that because Binnion had already been confined in the Polk County Jail for 2 years and 9 months awaiting trial, his credit for time served reduces his total jail time to only 104 days. Additionally, the judge ordered 10 years of probation once Binnion is released and he must register as a sex offender.
Prosecutors said the sexual assault of a child occurred on July 1st, 2018 and the aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury occurred on September 2nd, 2018.
According to Livingston Police probable cause affidavits, the sexual assault happened in a Livingston hotel when the victim, a 14-year-old girl, had gone into a room and was picking up things for her father. The affidavit said that Binnion went into the room behind her and forcefully sexually assaulted the girl as she tried to fight him off.
Although Binnion previously pleaded guilty to the charge, Judge Kitchens made no finding of guilt and placed Binnion on deferred adjudication probation for 10 years.
A Livingston Police probable cause affidavit said that the aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury occurred after Binnion was arrested on the sexual assault charge and was an inmate in the Polk County Jail. The affidavit said that Binnion assaulted fellow inmate Anthony William Slaton and broke his jaw.
